Every day, more and more customers look for services that promote safe, clean, and green businesses. Grocery stores, offer wipes for shopping carts. Tissue dispensers are starting to be placed near bathroom exits and door knobs. And Yogini clean mats in between yoga sessions.

Whenever you have a service where one client leaves and another takes their place in a chair or work station, you owe it to the new client to make sure that the area has been refreshed and sanitized. That is especially true for beauty shops.

You would not believe, the germs and illness that visit your salon each day by way of customers, suppliers, and co-workers. With so many people, from so many different micro environments, it is almost impossible to remain immune from potential micro organisms that are anxious to spread their wickedness.

There are two major reasons for taking the issue of cleanliness seriously.

First, from a practical standpoint, you want to stay healthy so that your income remains steady. Stylists understand that if they are sick at home, cash flow comes to a screeching halt.

Second, there is the importance of customer perception. If your client senses that your salon is a germ factory, they’ll find another stylist. Most modern consumers have been taught that “cleanliness in next to godliness”.

Here are some ideas for you to consider.

Before a client sits down, wipe the chair down in their presence or before they reach your workstation, as long as they can see you doing it from the reception area. The key here is not only cleaning the chair surface but making sure they see you do it. If you have to, make them stand by the chair until the work is completed.

Pay particular attention to the arms of the chair and the area that your client places their hands. Another sensitive area of the chair is where your client will be resting their neck and head. That should be thoroughly sanitized from the previous customer.

Regularly clean your combs and brushes in a dishwasher but remember that some dish washers get so hot that they could melt the products. Also consider storing or spraying them in alcohol prior to use.

Wash you hands before starting a hair extension application. And if you leave the work area for any reason, particularly to handle money, be sure to wash your hands again when you return.

Mirrors reflect your image and dirty mirrors turn people off. Keep a spray bottle of cleaner on hand to touch up wall mirrors and hand mirrors. If you offer someone a hand mirror, clean off the handle with a sanitized wipe.

Make sure that the floor does not have hair clippings, extension packaging, beads, or hair extensions from the last client. Floors tell the story of cleanliness in a salon, especially if your station is near a corner wall.

It is the little things in business that are noticed. Customers may not mention anything to you about cleanliness but believe me, good or bad, it’s going through their minds, even when they are sitting in another stylist’s chair. Pick up a few new clients by being extra clean.

Logan is founder of Donna Bella Milan hair extensions and lashes and author of the Donna Bella weblog.